Burnt Offerings (1976)

A family moves into a large old mansion in the countryside which seems to have a mysterious and sinister power over its new residents.

Director:

Dan Curtis

Writers:

Robert Marasco (novel), William F. Nolan (screenplay)

Stars:

Karen Black, Oliver Reed, Burgess Meredith

6 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Karen Black	...	Marian Rolf
Oliver Reed	...	Ben Rolf
Burgess Meredith	...	Arnold Allardyce
Eileen Heckart	...	Roz Allardyce
Lee Montgomery	...	David Rolf (as Lee H. Montgomery)
Dub Taylor	...	Walker
Bette Davis	...	Aunt Elizabeth
Joseph Riley	...	Ben's Father
Todd Turquand	...	Young Ben
Orin Cannon	...	Minister
Jim Myers	...	Dr. Ross
Anthony James	...	The Chauffeur

Storyline

Ben and Marian Rolf rent a grand old country mansion as a summer getaway for themselves, their twelve year old son Davey, and Ben's Aunt Elizabeth. They feel they can't turn down the rent deal offered to them by the house's owners, siblings Roz and Arnold Allardyce, despite some reservations. First amongst those reservations, they are to take care of the house on their own, which Ben feels is too big a job, especially for Marian and the interior housekeeping. In Marian's words, the large size of the house is a "waste". And second and perhaps more important amongst those reservations, the Allardyces' aged mother will be staying in her room at the house, the Rolfs who are to provide a tray of food left outside her room three times a day, which Marian vows to take care of on her own, with no other members of the family to go into that isolated wing of the house so as not to disturb Mrs. Allardyce's peace. Upon their arrival at the house for the first day of their stay, they find a note ...

---

Plot Keywords:

possession | obsession | summer vacation | old house | house | 

---

Taglines:

The perfect summer rental for the last vacation you'll ever take.

---

Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

---

Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Karen Black was four months pregnant during the shoot, and she explains that her belly was concealed with some clever wardrobe tactics (although from certain angles, her pregnancy is more visible).

---

Goofs

There is no clue or significance in the movie of the prop antiquated bicycle found in the woods, or the Edwardian/Victorian spectacles found in the pool. It is never actually specified, for instance, that they have any relationship to the 1890s graves. Indeed Ben's (Oliver Reed's) sudden bout of madness upon discovering the cursed glasses in the pool, could have played identical, with or without the spectacles.

---

Quotes

Ben Rolf: Marian, whether you come with us or not; tomorrow we're going back.
Marian Rolf: Going back? To what?
Ben Rolf: To what we had.
Marian Rolf: We had nothing!
Ben Rolf: And what do you suppose we've got now?

---

Connections

Referenced in NCIS: Los Angeles: Impact (2013)

User Reviews

An ordinary family rents a creepy old house for the summer, and later learns that the place has supernatural forces.

Actress Karen Black and director Dan Curtis reteamed for this spooky ghost story following their great success the year before with the TV thriller TRILOGY OF TERROR. This theatrical release isn't completely up to that triumph, but all in all it's a pretty good chiller, with a terrific cast doing marvellous work. Though she is given surprisingly little to do, Bette Davis does wonders with her role as the tormented aunt. At any rate, this film is a classic compared to THE AMITYVILLE HORROR which came along three years later.

Details

Country:

USA Italy

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 October 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

Burnt Offerings

Filming Locations:

Dunsmuir House & Gardens - 2960 Peralta Oaks Court, Oakland, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Produzioni Europee Associate (PEA), Dan Curtis Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1